Hailing from the culturally vibrant city of Madurai (India), known for producing some of Tamil cinema's finest talents like Padhma Bhushan Shri. Vijayakanth and “Vaigai Puyal” Vadivelu, Vighnesh Dheenadhayalan has always been surrounded by the magic of cinema. His artistic journey began not on a soundstage but in the nostalgic alleys of his childhood, where cinema was not just a pastime but a family tradition.

“It wouldn’t be incorrect to say that my grandmother ran a small movie club back in the 80s,” he reminisces. “She would gather women from the neighborhood and head to the theatres after sending the kids to school and be back after the matinee show to receive them. With age this passion of hers only grew, and that was evident on the night of Deepavali in 2012” he says. On top of it being one of the busiest nights in India, it was also the release of Thalapathy Vijay’s blockbuster movie Thuppakki. Vighnesh and his entire family headed to watch the movie in a local cinema in Madurai. But because of the frenzy for the star the theatre was overflowing. Both Fans and Cops were galore outside the movie theatre, so much so that his mom wanted to take the kids home. But none of this deterred Vighnesh’s grandmother Suriyakumari, as she stormed through the entrance with him and his cousins in her hand. “This strong passion was passed on to me naturally.”